Safety and usefulness of intravenous iron sucrose in the management of preoperative anemia in patients with menorrhagia: a phase IV, open-label, prospective, randomized study.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy, safety and achievement of the target hemoglobin level (Hb >or=10 g/dl) in patients with preoperative anemia due to menorrhagia who received intravenous iron sucrose compared with oral iron protein succinylate for anemia management.
Methods: Seventy-six patients with Hb levels <9.0 g/dl who were scheduled to undergo surgical treatment were randomized to receive either intravenous iron sucrose (based on the calculated total iron deficit divided into 2 ampoule infusions intravenously 3 times a week, beginning 3 weeks before surgery) or oral iron (80 mg/day of oral iron protein succinylate daily).
Results: The intravenous iron group had higher increases in Hb (3.0 vs. 0.8 g/dl; p < 0.0001) and ferritin levels (170.1 vs. 4.1 microg/l; p < 0.0001) than the oral iron group. Achieving the target Hb was also higher in the intravenous iron group than in the oral iron group (76.7 vs. 11.5%; p < 0.0001). There were tolerable adverse events in both groups.
Conclusion: Preoperative intravenous iron sucrose administration is more effective than oral iron and is as safe as oral iron therapy in the correction of preoperative anemia due to menorrhagia.
((c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.)